Question

1. how might the background (cultural, racial, social) of a dancer or choreographer influence the kind of dance vocabulary they develop? give examples based on dunham & graham.

answer:

Explanation:

• Katherine Dunham: Her cultural (African - American heritage, Caribbean studies) and racial background influenced her dance vocabulary. She integrated African - derived movements (like hip circles, isolations from African tribal dances) and Caribbean rhythms. For example, in her work inspired by Haitian culture, she used movements that reflected Haitian Vodou rituals, combining spiritual - based gestures (like ritualistic hand - waving) with dynamic hip and torso movements, creating a vocabulary that honored African diasporic cultures.
• Martha Graham: Her social (early 20th - century American modernity, feminist undercurrents) and cultural (American identity, psychological exploration) background shaped her vocabulary. She developed contraction - and - release (a core movement: contracting the torso to express tension, releasing to show release or emotion), influenced by her interest in human psychology. For example, in "Appalachian Spring", the movements (stiff, upright postures for the pioneer figures, flowing movements for the bride) reflected American frontier culture and gender roles of the time, with the contraction - release used to convey inner emotional states like anxiety or joy.

Answer:

• Katherine Dunham: Cultural (African - American, Caribbean) and racial (Black) background. Developed dance vocabulary with African - derived isolations (e.g., hip circles, shoulder shimmies) and Caribbean - inspired rhythms. Example: Haitian - themed works used Vodou - ritual - based gestures (hand - waving, ritual steps) with dynamic hip/torso movements.
• Martha Graham: Social (early 20th - century America, feminist) and cultural (American identity, psychological) background. Developed contraction - release (torso contraction for tension, release for emotion). Example: "Appalachian Spring" used frontier - inspired postures (stiff for pioneers, flowing for bride) with contraction - release to convey emotions like anxiety/joy.